It makes me strong
by softball5
Summary: Elena wakes up in the hospital confused and nonetheless, dead. She has to deal with new found feelings and has to make a life or death decision, literally. But what if someone makes a surprise visit? What if she is finally given the chance to make things right? What if she realizes she made the wrong choice before and found one that 'consumes her? Takes place after 3x22.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright guys, so I decided I couldn't stay away from TVD and had to write another take I had on the season finale! If you like this and haven't read my other one, check it out, it's called Elena's Return and it's a different idea I had on it! s/8148213/1/Elenas_Return**

**Soooo please R/R lovelies! I already have some big plans for this story:)**

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It was dark and I couldn't see a thing but I focused and could slightly hear voices. Everything they said was slurred and sounded distant but I could barely make them out.

One sounded angry, the other defensive. I automatically identified the voices: Stefan and Damon.

"HOW COULD YOU?" Damon said with such anger and venom dripping from those three words they could kill, and I'm sure that was his intention.

"I- Damon I didn't mean to, she wanted me to save Matt firs-" Stefan stuttered but was interrupted by a crash probably caused by Damon throwing one of his little tantrums.

"Well, then of course," He chuckled one of his laughs that contained no sign of humor whatsoever, "what was I thinking? She wanted you to save Matt? OH well of course, go on, tell me how she makes her own decisions, how that's what's best for her, explain to me dear brother how exactly she is better off A VAMPIRE!" He screamed and I could tell from his voice he was close to tears, he hides it well, but I can see right through him, his humanity was getting the best of him.

"Damon," He said slowly with sadness in his voice, "I'm not sure she's going to want to transition."

I could feel the tension in the silence until Damon spoke, "WHAT? No, brother, you're not letting her make any more decisions. She's made enough decisions to last her whole lifetime. First you let her die from her own decisions, now she has another chance, I will not let you make her die a second time. She will transition, even if it means I have to force blood into her mouth, I'll do it, and don't you think for a second to say that's not fair, you lost your right to say that 145 years ago when you took away my choice." He said attempting to keep his emotion out.

Stefan was silent for a moment and I could hear guilt in his voice when he began speaking again but covered it up quickly, "Look. I know I lost that right. And I know I already let her die once. But Damon, you weren't there when she told me with certainty she didn't want this. She never wanted this! She wanted to grow old, have a family, h-"

"Well she lost that choice when you let her die, so now that that's out the window, what's she have left? You think you're letting her make her own choices, when really, it's you whose eliminating them! I mean really, what's she have left, she can either be dead or dead. What good you've done for her Stefan."

All the sounds were fading in and out, and I was forgetting every word they said as they said it but a few words stayed with me, DEAD_. They think I'm dead._ I was causing them pain, I had to let them know I was okay. But was I? I tried to speak, or open my eyes, but I couldn't I couldn't move. Why did they think I'm dead? Where am I? What happened? And then as another word hit me, VAMPIRE, I remembered…the bridge. The call. Rebekah. The fall. The water.

I drowned.

I died.

I am dead.

When I become conscious, I'll be in transition.

I'll.

I'll become what I never wanted.

A vampire.

I tried to cry, I tried to scream, anything. But nothing happened.

I was panicking. I felt as if I was hyperventilating although in reality my body wasn't even breathing. I needed comfort, I needed to be comforted. Suddenly, I woke with a gasp and my eyes flew open as I said the name of the one person who I knew would fill those needs, who I needed, "Damon."

I could feel the sound of words, of yelling, of objects being throw, cease as both heads whipped to stare straight at me and I could feel Damon rush to my side and grab my hand, I could almost hear the hope in Damon as he heard my voice say his name, his, not his brother, because for once, it wasn't Stefan. And I could feel the smile begin to form on my face as I realized how much clearer I could see now my feelings for Damon, yes I cared about him but it was much much more, but what I knew for sure was, Damon was wrong about one thing:

_It's not always going to be Stefan_

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**AHHHHH of course it's not. Delena. End game. I wish lol so what do you think? Hate? Love? Suggestions? I appreciate them all! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Okkkkkk so second chapter up, sorry it's kind of short next one will be longer:)**

**R/R!**

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Damon's face was filled with worry as emotions danced across my face, everything was flying through my head, my emotions were everywhere, and it looked as if he was the one needing comforting right now. I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and I felt his muscles relax a little but he was still on guard and in a state I always loved most, him most vulnerable, where you could see the real Damon.

Where you could see glimpses of his humanity, and it was beautiful.

"Hey," he said quietly I was shocked at how his voice changed from the one full of hatred moments ago to this gently, calming voice for me, "it's going to be okay, alright? I'm right here," he then looked me straight in the eyes and said, "I will never leave you, I promise."

I nodded and held onto his hand for dear life and tried to find my voice, "I-my- my throat- it burns. And I- I'm hungry."

"I know." He whispered.

"I'm in transition, aren't I?" I said on the verge of tears, already knowing the answer, I just had to hear it.

He didn't say it, he couldn't, but instead looked me in the eyes and said, "I'm so sorry."

The thing was, was I knew what was happening. I knew it was real. I knew my life, was pretty much over, I knew I was dead. But all I could seem to think about was Damon. His eyes, his voice, him. I could focus on him and everything else faded away and somehow, all of a sudden being a vampire didn't seem so bad if he was by my side.

I didn't understand. What was happening? I shouldn't be thinking this. I shouldn't be thinking of him. I shouldn't have called out his name. Why didn't I call out Stefan? Why is it that this whole time I was awake not once has Stefan come to mind? Why?

Because for once in my life, rather, death, I was able to understand completely understand my feelings. As a human, everything was blurry, nothing was precise, nothing was clear and everything was jumbled together. Stefan saved me, Stefan was safe, but now, I no longer want safe, no longer need it. I need a love that consumes me.

Wait.

Those words sound familiar, but I'm not sure why. I've never heard them before, have I?

I let it go and tried to think of all the times they talked to me about being a vampire and what it felt like. And I remembered them saying everything is heightened. I could feel it. I could feel my emotions going crazy. I could feel my hatred toward Klaus heightened, my grief towards my parents heightened, my love towards Damon heighte-

No. Not love. I didn't just think that. I can't. I don't love him. But. I do.

That's it. I know now. I finally know what I feel for him. And I know what I don't feel any longer for Stefan. I love Damon. I smiled at him one of the biggest smiles he'd seen from me, probably ever considering he met me in one of the darkest times of my life, and his eyebrows shot up.

I know what he must be thinking. There has got to be something wrong with her. Something is wrong. Terribly wrong. Shes in transition. She can either die or become what she never wanted to become and she's SMILING. His face was full of concern and I was dying, no pun intended, to tell him what I had finally discovered, I had the courage built up and everything, I would spill my feelings right then and there, knowing full well that Stefan was still frozen to his spot on the other side of the room but I mean, he will have to hear it one way or another.

All this was going to happen. Perfectly I might add, that is, until I heard a whoosh by the door and a voice say with a sly smile, "Hello love."

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**Soooo what do you think? Tell me your thoughts:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alrighttt so here's chapter 3!**

**Enjoy and please R/R:)**

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Damon automatically changed his stance to stand directly in front of me and I saw anger and determination fill his eyes.

"Sorry Klaus, I think she's had enough drama for the day, come back another time maybe?" he said with a smirk returning to the old Damon.

Klaus grinned and began walking towards me, "Oh, but it's just begun."

"Look, if you're here to just be your obnoxious self, help yourself to the door, I know it's a huge surprise and all, but we don't want you here and I kinda hate you."

"Oh don't worry lad, the feelings mutual. And no actually I'm not here for the fun of it, believe me if I was looking for fun this is the last place I would go to. Actually I'm here to pick up a little donation you could call it." he smiled as Damon and Stefan approached him.

"You have no need for her now, she's in transition." Stefan spoke for the first time since I'd awaken.

"Well aren't you the professional in knowing these sorts of things, if I were you, I wouldn't be so sure of myself, and I'm not just talking about this mate, I wouldn't be so sure about you and your girl anymore.

Damon and Stefan both stood shocked for a moment, and a moment was all Klaus needed to speed over to me lying on the table, pick me up, run to the other corner, and have a knife against my throat. With him being a lot older and all, they had just had the chance to react and begin towards me until they saw the knife and stopped dead in their tracks.

"What do you want with her?" Damon sputtered out looked at me as I started to slouch down, the fight completely out of me, I began to feel drained and Klaus had to support me so I would stay standing.

"Well, care for me to educate you on something your brother thought he understood? The doppelganger's blood of course if what I need as you know, and when Katherine turned she was no longer any use to me, so yes, as a vampire Elena is no longer of any use to me. But sorry to be the odd one out in this room, but Elena is not my first choice. Hybrids come first to me and the thing is, is she's not a vampire yet and she hasn't transitioned. If she dies in this in between stage, that is when her blood is most useful to me and is more valuable than her human blood." I slumped down even further and watched the hope fade from their eyes, "Now. As you can see her energy is fading quickly. I don't know how long one can last in transition without feeding, so in other words, she's quickly dying for the second time today."

Damon rushed towards me but stopped abruptly at my cry as Klaus began to dig the knife into my neck and I could feel my energy continue to fade and the blood drip down my neck.

"I wouldn't try that again mate, unless you want to watch her die. Now, let's have some fun as we wait for her to die, why don't we?" he grinned and I saw all the hope fade from Damon's eyes.

"Alright now love, why don't we show you what you'll be missing as not being able to become a vampire," I felt tears begin to stream down my face, "Now now darling, we all know you wouldn't have chosen it anyways I know you would've chosen to die I just had to show up to make sure I got your body afterward. Such a shame you will be buried with no blood left in your veins."

He chuckled and I heard a low growl from the bottom of Damon's throat and Klaus turned toward them, "So. We all know I have the upperhand here. I've got the girl, I've got the strength, I've got her life in my hands, so let's not be stupid here ok? Either one of you so much as make a move towards her I won't hesitate a second to kill her. Her life is meaningless to me. So if you wouldn't mind, please sit down against the wall over there, I feel quite claustrophobic with you both standing so close."

He said with a smile then dropped into a stern face and said, "Now." As he shoved the blade closer to my throat and they both retreated toward the corner of the room.

He turned toward me, "Ok. Well now that they are out of the way, let's have some fun shall we? Let's start with my favorite, compulsion." He grinned and began talking again.

"Compulsion has been my all time favorite and I'm sure it is for all vampires. It's one of the best parts of being a vampire. It works on anyone, everyone that is of course, unless you have vervain but it seems your necklace is missing at the moment, must have lost it in all the chaos of drowning and dying." He laughed and I glanced down quickly to find him correct, and my heart dropped, my necklace was gone. I glared at him unable to say anything out of weakness and lack of energy.

"Anyways. The neat thing about compulsion is it works not only on humans, but also vampires. But that's only for me so I have no limits as to who I wish to control. No one, not a single person dead or alive, can resist me. Do you wish to see an example?" I began to say no but he interrupted me, "Great! Let's try it out. Don't worry, it's quite fun." He said and fear filled my eyes as I saw the signature Klaus smile begin to appear.

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**AHHHHH so what'd you think? Tell me suggestions, thoughts, whatever:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Soo chapter 4! You should defiantly tell me what you think, R/R k?**

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He turned me around to face him and he looked straight into my eyes and I saw his pupils grow smaller and I heard the word, "Sit." And I thought to myself, no way, I'm not sitting, you can't treat me like this, you can't tell me what to d- but the next thing I knew I found my legs bending and I couldn't stop myself from sitting on the ground. I couldn't do anything about it and he laughed at my struggle.

"See? Isn't it just fascinating?" He chuckled and I heard Damon growl again and I could feel him barely holding himself back, it just killing him to watch him take advantage of my vulnerability without my necklace.

"Again!" he looked me in the eyes and said, "Take this knife, and stab yourself in the stomach." And with that Damon growled even louder and began to stand up.

"ELENA, NO. Don't listen to him Elena, don-" but he stopped and stared at me with wide sad eyes as he saw there was no hope, as I slowly took the knife from his hands and I tried, I tried so hard, I couldn't do it, I couldn't stop myself.

The knife came down with my hands and I cried out in pain and tears fell from Damon's eyes who could no longer hold them back. I dropped down to my knees and the knife fell out of my hands onto the ground where my blood began to form a puddle.

"STOP!" Damon and Stefan screamed out and began yelling at Klaus.

Klaus's head snapped up and anger showed in his eyes towards them both but especially Damon as he screamed at him the most and I moved my lips at Damon trying to tell him to stop, it's ok, I don't want him to get hurt too, just let me go, I would die either way. But he continued on and Klaus pulled me to my feet and I screamed out in pain and Klaus threw me against the wall.

"You and Katherine have a lot more in common than your looks!" he screamed at me reminded me of the night Damon said those exact same words, "you have them both kneeling at your feet and you know what, that's not even the problem. They both love you, but the problem isn't that, the problem is you love them both as well. And that's why you are nothing but a weaker version of Katherine. At least she didn't let her feelings for them get in the way of what's best for her. That's why at the end of the day, she will be the one alive and you'll be the one dead-"

"No! that's where you're wrong Klaus. I'm. Not. Katherine. I've never loved them both. I-" I started.

"Now now love, no need to deny this now we all know you care for them both-"

"I NEVER LOVED BOTH OF THEM. Yes, I have loved each of them, but never both of them at the same time. You see, I thought I would do this in a much better place at a much better time, but it looks like this is all I'm gonna get! I loved Stefan first, he saved me emotionally and physically, and I fell in love with him." And I could see Damon's head drop out of the corner of my eye and I was still boiling with anger at Klaus's words.

"But." And his head rose again, "I fell out of love with him. It hurts to say this but it has to be said. It was never enough. No, I'm not saying it was never real, it was real, just not enough. There was no passion, no danger, nothing….consuming. And it wasn't until I fell out of love with him, that I truly fell in love with Damon. And Damon,"

I said avoiding Stefan's glare and knowing I couldn't handle it, glanced up at Damon not caring what Stefan would do I had to say it, and found Damon's face full of hope which gave me the final courage I needed to say the rest.

"I'm sorry it's taken death and near second death for me to realize that I love you."

And with those 3 words his face lit up and I swear, in that moment, we were infinite.

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AHHHHH ok. So it's getting a little more delena now! and sorry, I had to add that quote^ I just love it:)

Review some stuff, I read it all and take all suggestions into consideration!


	5. Chapter 5

**Alrightttt so chapter 5! R/R. do it.**

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Damon looked at me with all the love in the world and I couldn't take my eyes off him and I couldn't stop smiling, again making me forget the sucky reality of our situation. Me near death, angry Klaus, my knife wound, everything. That is until the stupid original had to speak again.

"Well, that was…interesting. Sorry to interrupt this, moment you're having. But," he looked me in the eye and my heart dropped as he began to compel me again, "Pick up the knife, and stab yourself again. This time, in the heart." All hope faded from my eyes and I knew this was it. this was the end. And everything felt distant, although I could hear Damon's voice screaming no over and over again but I couldn't focus on anything except the knife on the floor. Suddenly, I was stopped midstep by Klaus.

"Actually," He said glaring back at Damon who continued to yell and tears streamed down his face completely unlike him but, I mean, who could blame him, "I changed my mind."

He chuckled and an evil grin spread across his face.

"Thank you, by the way, for your dying love confession, now that I know this, we can have a bit more fun before you die. You can watch the love of your life die. That. Would be my idea of fun."

My eyes widened as I processed what he was saying, "No." I whispered.

"Yes. Oh, yes."

His pupils became smaller as I heard the words I dreaded, "Pick up the knife and stab Damon. This time in the heart."

"No. Please. No." I whispered and now I couldn't stop the tears from flooding down my face, "No, no, no, no." I cried out as I picked up the knife and turned toward Damon.

"Hey, it's okay Elena. It's not like I could live without you anyways." Damon said with a sadness in his voice, "It's okay, don't cry."

"Noo, no no no no no!" I screamed out.

"I love you." He whispered.

"I told you," I heard Klaus's annoying voice from behind me, "You let your love consume you. And that, right there, will be your greatest weakness."

I looked at him. I mean really looked at him. And I felt like I saw him for the first time. I could see him, the real him, the real Damon. His vulnerability, his humanity, his emotions were exposed on his face. I let myself think and focus just on him. Just on my love for him. My undying love and I knew. I knew right then. I wouldn't do it. I didn't know how, it was impossible to resist compulsion, it had never been done. But I knew right then and there, I would finally do what people had always yelled at me to do.

_FIGHT._

Fight, they told me. Fight for your life, don't give up. And that's exactly what I would do, I would fight, I would give it all I had. He had always fought for me, now I would fight for the both of us.

The need was _so_ strong. The push, the urge to stab him was too strong. It was too strong to fight against without love. That was it. People always said I care too much, I let love consume me, so that's what I'll do.

_I'm going to let my love consume me._

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_SDFJASDFIIFHADIHASD _what do you think? Review pleaseeeee


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